


overture ; one last time

by itisjosh



Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Anxiety, Developing Friendships, Enderman Ranboo (Video Blogging RPF), Fluff, Gen, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Light Angst, Platonic Male/Male Relationships, Platonic Relationships, Ranboo-centric (Video Blogging RPF), i swear it isnt as bad as the tags sound rn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-10
Updated: 2021-01-10
Packaged: 2021-03-14 00:26:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28662432
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itisjosh/pseuds/itisjosh
Summary: Ranboo knows that it's useless to wish, it's useless to hope and believe.At least, it used to be useless, before Phil and Techno took him into their home.
Relationships: Ranboo & Technoblade (Video Blogging RPF)
Comments: 13
Kudos: 910





	overture ; one last time

The Antarctic Empire is nice. 

Ranboo sits under one of the tallest trees he can find, looking up through the pine needles. It hasn't snowed ever since he got here, which is nice. He doesn't like the cold as much as he thought he would. He'll get used to it, he always gets used to everything. He's good at adapting, and putting himself into the background and staying there. Ranboo has never wanted to be a main character in his life, and now that he's finally away from L'manberg, he thinks that he'll finally be able to rest. Being in the spotlight all the time is terrifying and stressful, and he hates it, he really hates it. 

He hums quietly to himself, not sure where he learnt the melody. Ranboo watches the stars dance in the sky, moving back and forth, twinkling brightly in the night. He's always liked the stars and the sky, he's always liked constellations and finding more out about them. Ranboo has always had interests from before he came here, but he was never allowed to keep looking into them. If he was lucky he'd be able to go out on top of Eret's castle and watch Orion come out from over the horizon, but not very often. Ranboo breathes out, watching as his breath turns into fog as soon as it hits the air. He twirls blades of grass around his fingertips, swaying back and forth along to the melody in his head. 

Ranboo closes his eyes for a moment, feeling safe enough to do so. He doesn't like keeping his eyes open that much, anyways. It makes him uncomfortable, it makes him nervous. He remembers when Quackity grabbed him by the jaw, when he made Ranboo look at him when he screamed and yelled at him. Ranboo was scared, he was so scared. He doesn't understand why eye contact makes him feel like that, why it makes his head scream at him to _killkillkillkill_ and _runrunrunrun_ , but it does. He feels his hands shake at the memory, and quickly forces it back down as far as he can, shaking his head to clear his thoughts. Ranboo has a book to log his memories in for a reason, and he knows that he's logged that one. He doesn't need to think about it anymore. 

Though, unfortunately, he tends to remember the bad memories instead of the good. He wishes that he could willingly repress certain events, but he can't, he's not that in control of himself. Ranboo wishes that he was, but he knows that it's useless to wish, it's useless to hope and believe. At least, it used to be useless, before Phil and Techno took him into their home. Ranboo doesn't even really know _why_ they wanted him to come with them to their home, but he didn't have anywhere else to, and he owed Phil that favour. He breathes in, the sharp, winter air freezing over his lungs, hitting the back of his throat. 

He startles when he hears snow crunch under someone's boots, opening his eyes to look for the person. Technoblade lands in his line of sight, the blue of his coat standing out against the white of everything else, flowing gently behind him. Gold laces all of his clothes, lining his bracers, hanging off of his neck in the forme of necklaces, shining on his fingers as rings. Techno locks eyes with him for a brief moment before he looks away, closing his eyes for a second. "Hi," Ranboo offers the greeting as tentatively as he can, not entirely sure if talking is necessary between the two of them. "How, um, how are you?"

"I'm alright," Techno tells him, sitting down next to him. He drags one knee up to his chest, resting his head on that leg while the other lays out. "Sorry if you were wantin' to be alone. I can go." He offers, something like genuine concern in his voice. Ranboo hasn't heard that in a long, long time. 

"No, no, it's okay," Ranboo assures him. He doesn't really know why he went outside, trudging along out in the snow. He was just..feeling homesick, he supposes. Even if he never really had a home in L'manberg. He remembers having a home somewhere else, somewhere that doesn't exist in this world. Maybe it's another world all in its own, Ranboo isn't sure. He doesn't remember much of his younger years, and he assumes that's for a good reason. "I like it out here," he murmurs, watching as the sky darkens a little, going from pale blue to the colour of cornflowers. "You have a really beautiful area, you know?" 

Techno smiles, his eyes flicking back and forth from his house to the farms to the sky. And yet, not once do they land on Ranboo. Ranboo is silently thankful for that, and he hopes that Techno knows how much it means, even if he hasn't vocalised it. "Yeah," Techno agrees, softly. "I think it's nice. Phil 'nd I had a place like this, long before we ever came here. It was called the same thing. Antarctic Empire has just stuck," he smiles, his eyes shining faintly when he says Phil's name. "The snow doesn't hurt you, right? Not like rain?" 

"It isn't like rain," Ranboo confirms with a small smile. "It hurts when it melts. But, um, it's not as bad. Nothing is as bad as rain." Techno nods, and they return to silence that's oddly comfortable, oddly welcoming. Ranboo listens to the few birds that reside in the tundra chirp and chatter, singing songs that he wishes he could understand. He watches as snow falls in flakes from the clouds, landing on already-made piles of snow from previous nights. Ranboo likes the way everything looks out here. It's peaceful, serene, almost. He shivers a little, feeling a gust of wind slap him in the face, wincing at the sting that it leaves behind. 

"Here," Techno shrugs off his coat, already wrapping it around Ranboo's shoulders before he can protest. "Sorry, I didn't even think about.." he sighs, looking down at the grass. One of his hands absentmindedly twirls at the grass, picking at it and pulling it up in small clumps. "I didn't think, sorry. I'm not goin' to get as cold as you will, I've gotten used to it. I'll ask Phil to make you a coat tomorrow." 

Ranboo can't quite hide the smile on his face, though he isn't sure why he'd want to. "Thank you," he offers, briefly meeting Techno's eyes. Techno just smiles at him, ducking his head after a moment. "Oh, uh, here," Ranboo reaches up, taking his crown off of his head. He offers the piece of gold and silver to Techno. "Since you lost your crown when the festival happened, I thought you'd like mine. You don't, um, you don't have to take it if you don't want," Ranboo quickly adds on. "I just thought, you know, since you gave me your coat and all that, it'd be..fair, you know?" Techno laughs, and it isn't the maniacal laugh that Ranboo has become accustomed to. It's just one short, sharp bark of genuine laughter, and Ranboo can't help but smile. 

"Thank you, Ranboo," Techno tells him, sounding more genuine than Ranboo has ever heard him before. "I can show you around the Empire a little if you'd like me to," Techno offers, staring off past him. "I've got a turtle farm, a couple of bees, a few villages around here. I think it'd probably be for the best if you knew what your home had to offer." Ranboo blinks at the word. _Home_. Would he consider the Antarctic Empire his home? He doesn't even know if Techno or Phil really want him here, or if they're just using him. He remembers Phil rescuing him from so many things, he remembers helping Phil and Techno escape L'manberg, he gave them their items back. Ranboo remembers that he _likes_ Phil, that he considers the older man to be something like a father figure. 

Home, he thinks, isn't quite the right word. Not yet, at least. Maybe in another few days or weeks, home will be the word that describes the Antarctic Empire. That scares him to think about. Ranboo doesn't want to have to leave another home, another few people who he thought he could trust. He's scared, Ranboo is so scared. He's scared of his friends getting hurt, he's scared of himself getting captured and hurt. He's scared, but he feels like he doesn't have to be as scared when Techno and Phil are with him. "That would be nice," he smiles. "But, um, can we just..sit out here for a little longer? It's nice." Techno nods, looking as if he silently agrees. 

"Phil should be home soon. He's probably talkin' to Wilbur or Tommy, or whatever," Techno sighs, returning to pick at the grass. "Ranboo, no matter what our morals are or how they differ," Techno starts, "I'll _always_ tell you the truth. About everythin'. I'm not goin' to lie to you. I'm honest and upfront about my beliefs, and I've got a feelin' that you are, too." 

"I'm not going to betray you," Ranboo says, even if he isn't sure why he does. The words just feel right, falling off of his tongue and lingering in the air. "Not after all that you've done for me. I know that Tommy said the same thing, but uh, I really mean it. I know you don't have to believe me or whatever, but you saved me. You saved my life and offered me a place to stay, and um, I don't..I don't want you to not trust me." 

Techno smiles at him, soft and gentle, a hint of sadness and not-quite-scarred-over wounds behind it. "I'll believe you eventually," Techno tells him. "I always do."

"I'm sorry," Ranboo looks away, hiding his sigh of relief when he feels Techno's eyes move off of him. "I can't really offer anything, but um, I promise. Words don't mean a lot, but I really do promise." 

"Thank you, Ranboo," Techno sighs, though he doesn't sound annoyed. Just tired. "Really. Thank you. I think that we could be friends, probably. Just..not right now. Not yet. I'm sure you understand."

"I do," Ranboo confirms. "I do." 

"This could be the start of a beautiful friendship," Techno says after a few minutes of quiet. "I think it could be the best one I've had in a while. Not as good as Phil, but..I want to trust you, Ranboo. And I think I'm goin' to start trustin' you before I want to. So, uh.." Techno trails off. "Just..don't mess it up. I don't think I could handle it, not right now. That's all." 

Ranboo nods, tilting his head up once again to watch the snow fall. "Of course, Technoblade. Take your time, I understand. I think..I think that things will be okay. They're not great, but, um, I think everything will work itself out. I hope so, at least. I like happy endings." 

"Happy endin's aren't easy to come by," Techno sighs. "But I hope you're right, Ranboo. I really do. Until then.." Techno offers him a hand, looking at his forehead rather than his eyes. Ranboo can't push back the grin that follows when he realises that. "Here's to the start of somethin' potentially great." 

"To the start of something good," Ranboo offers back, shaking Techno's hand. "To the start of a happy ending." 

Techno laughs, another genuine one, tilting his head back when he does. "To the start of _our_ happy endin'." 

They sit in the snow for hours to come, and Ranboo can't help but feel like things really will, for once in his life, be okay.

He's got someone else to help him now, and he doesn't think that he could really ask for a better friend. 


End file.
